“Speaking of which, time to get my girl back!” I snapped at no one before gritting my teeth and getting my ass in gear. Because despite the fucked up shit the Eye had shown me, it had first done what I had asked of it. It had shown me where the shifters were taking her and thankfully for me, as a combined entity, they were slower than I was. So, it was time to put the sight of a fate I would never allow to happen behind me and concentrate on my current mission. One that meant getting my Chosen One back and the price being…
Three dead shifters.
Thankfully, it took me no time at all to get to the wastelands and beyond that, were the soul fields. A place which was where the Eye had shown me I would find them. This meant that I wasn’t surprised when I found all four forms below, as the vision had shown me such.
It had granted me the sight of them as they are, back as men and no longer as their combined beast. This was lucky on my side for that would have been a much harder battle to face, and not one I was confident I would have walked away from unscathed.
Of course, the situation wasn’t made any better when I saw the actions below, although seeing my girl slapping the redheaded bastard Trice across the face eased my fury a little. But then a few moments later and just as I was getting closer their angry exchange morphed into one that made my blood boil.
“Oh, fuck no!” I snarled the second I saw him with his arms around her from behind, but then on my descent I heard her tell him,
“I was already free, you just didn’t get to see it.” So that was what this was about. It was as I suspected, the brothers thought they were saving her from a tyrant King. But of course they fucking did!
Fuck!
She turned in his arms and the second her hand cupped his cheek I roared in undiluted anger. It cut through the air like thunder, meaning that when I landed on the ground, I did so as if lightning had just struck it. But then the Cockatrice must have had a fucking death wish after all, for he made yet another colossal mistake. This was when he tried to position Amelia behind him as if protecting her from me!
I was going to tear him to fucking pieces!
I snarled low and dangerous, a warning of what was to come, feeling the weight of my fangs as they pushed through my gums. Gods, but I could almost taste the shifter’s blood as the thirst for it was that great. But then, as Amelia tried to get around him to get to me, this was when he got a true taste of my girl. Or more importantly, what happened when you tried to force Amelia to do anything…you often found your ass handed to you or on the floor!
Fuck me, but in that moment, I couldn’t have been prouder of her and at the very least watching it managed to cool the rage in my blood a little. For once she was free to do so, she ran towards me and began calling my name. Thankfully, I had enough sense even through my dark, demonic nature to release my armour so when she threw herself carelessly into my arms, the impact didn’t hurt her. This way I could hold her as close as possible and at the same time wrap my arms around her and lift her to my height. I cupped the back of her head, pressing her to my neck and feeling her take a deep breath. In all honesty, it was the first fucking time since the throne room, that I myself could breathe easy.
“Amelia.” I let her name out as a whisper through her hair and cared little that it sounded like a fucking prayer that had been answered. One laced with the secret vow that fate could fucking burn for all I cared. Nothing would happen to my Chosen One…
She was eternally mine!
After giving me a squeeze, I lowered her back to the ground so I could see for myself that she was unharmed. I framed her face and lifted it up so I could take in every inch of her beautiful features, lingering on the relief in her startling blue eyes.
“Are you alright, Sweetheart?” I asked making her nod in return and not missing the cocky McBain brother’s comment,
“Och, I think we hae missed something big 'ere, brothers.” I ignored Vern’s assessment of the situation as well as his brother’s simple reply,
“Aye.”
I ignored all this in face of Trice regaining his feet and challenging me with his furious demeanour. Fucking bring it on shifter shit stain!
“Wait here,” I said sternly after releasing a growl, one she couldn’t miss the meaning of… There was about to be blood…lots and lots of fucking blood!
“No! Lucius, no…” she started to beg at me to stop but I ignored this until I felt her running after me.
“Amelia, do as you’re told!” I snapped back before she managed to catch up and was now facing me, but it was Trice’s actions that cemented an already sealed fate, drawing his weapon as he spoke,
“Aye, Amelia, dae as yer Master commands!” I had to fucking give it to him, he was one ballsy fucker!
“Not helping here!” Amelia snapped back at him making me growl down at her before warning furiously,
“Get. Back!”
“NO!” she bellowed in return, pushing against my chest as hard as she could, needless to say it was pointless. So, I physically moved her out of the way by grabbing her waist and dumping her small frame to the side. After which I took advantage of her dazed state, left over from my quick actions and continued my advance on the bastard.
However, my little hellfire wasn’t done with me yet.
I knew this when I suddenly felt her body impact my back before she swiftly locked her legs around me. Then she used all her weight to propel me to the ground, meaning I had no choice but to follow or I would have risked hurting her. Fuck, but she was quick when she wanted to be! And sprightly too, which was surprising seeing as she was also usually clumsy as hell.
She tried to pin me to the ground whilst shouting down at me,
“It wasn’t their fault! They didn’t know!” I ignored this and gave her a piece of her own actions and before she had chance to counteract the move, I flipped her to her back and thundered back down at her,
“They knew that they were acting against their King!” And this was the truth. Because no matter how noble an act they believed it to be, there was no escaping the fact that they had turned against me. But I knew Amelia wouldn’t understand this, for she didn’t have the grit for it. She didn’t fully understand what it took to rule, especially down here…not in my realm of Hell.
Furious that I was being forced to act in front of her, I growled in frustration as I pushed up from the ground where I had held her caged with my body. Then the moment I was upright I let my own weapon emerge from my body, with the darkness of Hell’s fury seeping from me. I had my opponent in my sights, seeing that he too was getting ready for the fight ahead, with his sword now being raised, prepared for the first strike. But then came a formidable voice behind me, the barest hint of it wavering told me of the emotions being held back as she issued her threat.
“If you do this…if you fight him or hurt any of them…then I swear to you, Lucius, I will never fucking forgive you! NEVER! Do you hear me?!” I couldn’t help but cease my threatening steps from going any further, questioning now what would such actions really cost me?
I looked back over my shoulder at her to see her own shoulders slump in a pained way as her voice softened in her next plea,
“Please…don’t do this, don’t make me hate you for hurting them.” I frowned, knowing that in her eyes she was speaking the truth, that she really could hate me for such a thing. That she had it in her not to forgive me if in that moment I made this bloody choice in delivering my revenge.
In fact, I was so lost in her pained beauty that in that moment I lost all thoughts of the enemy at my back, one who was silently advancing. And the only reason I knew this was Amelia’s reaction started to change and her eyes became focused on Trice. They did this before widening in shock and then in…horror.
But the horror was not at the sight of what could befall on me. No, the horror belonged solely to Amelia. Because this was all before they then morphed into crimson pools of blood lust and hatred!
“Impossible.” I barely had time to utter th
is before that same impossible turned into something more disbelieving. This was because Amelia, my geeky little mortal, transformed into a Hellish version of herself seconds before releasing a wave of power of the likes I had never known or felt before!
For that split second, she looked like some kind of blood-soaked goddess. An image I would surely never forget, with her hair flaming out behind her and with the barest hint of a pair of large crimson wings haloed at her back…she was incredible!
But my astonished stare only lasted a single heartbeat for the second she screamed the wave hit into us all like a fucking mountain! In fact, all I saw before I had to fight to stay on my feet was a blood misted silhouette of her gaining in size and speed until it reached us like a fucking tornado!
I had braced for the impact, but admittedly, it was a force I fought against with everything in me. And even then, I suspect I only managed it because unlike the others, I somehow absorbed the power. I knew this because the moment it passed through me, I felt as though I could have picked up a fucking city with just the powers of my mind! I felt as if I could have beaten, well…even Adam in his other form.
Gods, but I had never felt anything like it before…actually, no, that’s not true. The last time I felt anything remotely like this was when…
When Lucifer first changed me.
Fuck, but what did it all mean?
Who…Who was this girl?
I knew without looking that it had knocked the other three off their feet and on their asses. Honestly, had I not felt the tug of their souls connected to my own then I would have in fact, believed them dead. A testament really to how strong they were to survive such an attack, one from the looks of things had shocked Amelia just as much as it had me.
But then I strangely felt the power evaporating behind me, like the once ignited sparks against my skin were now dying down to a tingling. It was as if wherever her power had come from, it had somehow been connected to my own blood. That’s how I knew without looking that it was all over.
However, the power hadn’t left my vessel completely, as I still felt the strength in the hit, and I had to wonder how long it would last for? Fuck, but it was like my own abilities had been zapped with a fucking power cable and charged beyond capacity. I felt like unleashing some kind of Hellish untapped power upon the world just to see what I was now capable of. Fuck, but I felt as if I could take out a fucking army with one thought!
In fact, I had to shake these thoughts from my mind because my main focus right now needed to be on my girl. They needed to be on Amelia, who was now stood there in utter shock and panting through her strange ordeal.
“Luc…ius, I…” she started to stammer before looking down at her shaking hands as if unable to control herself. I made it to her in a heartbeat, ignoring how much quicker I appeared to be. I took her hands in my own at the same time telling her,
“I am here!” Then, seeing as she still couldn’t seem to catch her breath, I took her in my arms and spoke to her in a soothing way that I made sure masked my concern.
“Breathe, Amelia…just breathe now…calm, calm for me.” I then encouraged her to follow my rhythm and breathe with me as I held her to my chest, making sure to keep relaxed myself. Something that wasn’t easy considering my fear and concern, now wanting nothing more than to give in to impulse by crushing her to me and taking flight.
“That’s it…deep breaths, just in and out again,” I told her before snarling a warning at Vern when he asked in clear astonishment,
“Whit th fck wis that?!”
“Silence!” I snapped before I asked her if she was alright, recognising that her breathing was now steadier. Yet despite this she only nodded as if too afraid to speak.
“Ah thought she wis mortal?” This came from the next brother who wisely hadn’t yet approached, and it was from one whose head I still wanted to see severed from the rest of his big, bastard of a body!
“She is mortal,” I snapped back whilst holding her tighter to me. But it was when the last and biggest member of the McBain clan stepped forward did the truth really come out,
“Aye and she’s also yer Chosen One.” I closed my eyes in frustration, ignoring the clear shock from the other two and gritting out another threat,
“Yes, she is and if a word of this is—” He quickly cut me off,
“We wull nae speak a word o' this, we care fur th' lassie.” I would have added more, like ‘make sure that you don’t, or it will be on your life,’ when a hand cupping my cheek stopped me. I looked down at her beseeching wide eyes as she pleaded their case,
“Lucius, please don’t be angry at…” She stopped mid-sentence and frowned in confusion before adding,
“I…I…feel…”
“Amelia?” I said her name to prompt more from her, just as that same slice of fear cut through me. Because something was clearly wrong as all the colour started to drain from her face and her eyes lost all focus.
“Whit's wrong wi' her?” I ignored the Wyvern or the appearance of his brother when Amelia’s legs suddenly gave way and she collapsed in my arms.
“Amelia?!”
“Turn her aroond.” Trice barked an order down at me, his accent heavy with his own concern. This was also said after I had lowered her to the ground and if she hadn’t been in my arms, I would have embedded my fist inside his chest cavity and ripped out his heart. However, unable to do that I was left with no other option than to demand he explain himself,
“Why?!”
“Just dae it!” he snapped back, and before telling him to fuck off, I bit back the threat when I took note of his features…
He knew what this was.
So instead of taking control of the situation, I gritted my teeth and did as he asked. But the moment I moved her, the sound of her screaming in agony tore through my heart the second it pierced the air. This was because Trice had ripped open the material concealing her back before I could demand what the fuck he was doing. However, the second I saw the problem for myself those words were ones I nearly fucking choked on!
Gods, but it looked excruciating!
I started cooing down at her as her screams turned to small whimpers of pain. Trice dragged air through his teeth as his face said it all whilst grimacing down at the Hex that looked to be burning deeper into her flesh.
“What is it?!” I snapped using a free hand to drag him closer by the leather strap across his chest, one that held small daggers to his frame. But that was when I started to realise the full extent of what had been cast upon her soul. As the witch was far from through with her and I was soon to learn the full price of underestimating my enemy.
Trice included.
Because as it turned out, I couldn’t kill the bastard yet and from the looks of things, well…he was my only hope of saving her. This was made clear after first glancing back at me with his expression tight and his jaw locked. This before his grave tone only added to his anxious reply,
“The Hex...tis…”
“What? The Hex is what, fucking tell me!?” I snapped just as Amelia started to lose consciousness. This was also when he unfortunately finished his sentence.
One that ended with him being her only hope…
“My lord, the Hex…tis…
“…Tis trying tae claim her.”
Chapter Four
Do or Die
“Fuck…FUCK!” I roared the moment I couldn’t get her back to a conscious state.
“Give me some space,” Trice demanded in a hard voice that made me want to rip his tongue out. Especially when he started to reach out and try and take her from me, something that wasn’t fucking happening.
“Get your fucking hands off her!” I snarled making him growl back at me like a fucking dragon that was about to torch me for the threat in my tone.
“You need tae let him, m' laird, mah brother can...” I cut Gryph off with a curl of my lip as my demon snarled up at him this time before snapping,
“He can do what?!”
“What the fck dae ye think, I kin help her, that’s what!” Trice barked back breathing heavily and obviously fighting with his own urges to fight me, something I had to say that right now, we both had in common.
“You have done this before?” I asked, this time knowing that helping Amelia was all that mattered in this moment and having no choice but to put our hatred for one another behind us for the sake of my girl.
“How dae ye think it stopped th' first time, ye think I asked it politely tae!?” I growled again thinking that having shit like that thrown in my face wasn’t making my decision not to rip his head off any easier.
“Trice lad, cuid ye focus less on pissing aff th' king 'n' more on helping th' lass…yeah?” Gryph wisely said, making Trice respond by granting me a pointed look before nodding down to Amelia. My Chosen One, who I currently had in my arms in a tight grip that was clearly saying not to touch her.
“Well, whit's it tae be…mah King?” Trice said, drawling out the title in a mocking way telling me he didn’t give a shit for it. But then again, I knew how he cared for Amelia and this cold-hearted bastard act was fooling fucking no one!
I looked down at my girl and that haunting image assaulted me once more, knowing that this sight wasn’t one I could ever allow to happen again. Which meant that if I had to let this asshole help in preventing that, then so be it.
“Well?” he snapped again bringing me back with a frustrated growl before I had no choice but to release my white knuckled grip on her clothes.
“Give her tae me,” Trice demanded the second he saw me shift her closer, making me snarl,
“Not fucking happening, Shifter!”
“And I wull be needin’ space, Vampire,” he shot back, making me bare my fangs at him until once again his brother was intervening and playing diplomat,
“M’ laird, ye kin trust him, isn’t that so…Trice?” I shot the brother in question a look that said it all, making him reply with a short and clipped,
Roots Of Rage: A Vampire King Paranormal Romance (Transfusion Saga Book 9) Page 3